Max finds himself in the underground caves of the Power Miners, where he is further distracted by shiny objects.

About this creation

Second in a series of shorts featuring Max, the LEGO Club mascot. In this episode, Max finds himself in the underground caves of the Power Miners, where he is further distracted by shiny objects.

The second Max was fun to animate for two main reasons: Crystal King and Mine Mech. Those two sets were perfectly suited for animation, and I think it shows. The shot of the Crystal King chasing Max through the cave is one of my favorites of the things we've animated for LEGO.

Speaking of the cave, this episode was a challenge in the sense that it took place underground. We didn't have the time or resources to build a complete cave, so the background was accomplished through the combined use of smaller built backgrounds and larger After Effects composite backgrounds. The aforementioned chase shot is basically structured as a loop, with two or three background images repeated over and over to give the illusion of an infinitely long cave. The built backgrounds were used in tight shots and close-ups, like the end shot of Max and the rock monster.